5 Ways To Love Yourself In A World That Tries To Put You Down

On Monday I mentioned one of the healthy habits you can add into your life this year is to take some time for yourself and love yourself a bit more.

It’s no secret that we live in a world filled with high expectations. Living in the digital-age has made it very easy to compare ourselves to other people. The truth is, as much as we know we should, it’s hard to love yourself when you’re constantly bombarded with images of perfection and impossible standards.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re at in your life, we can all benefit from a little more self-love.

Here are 5 ways to love yourself in a world that constantly tries to put you down.

1. Take a Social Media Detox – I don’t think there is anything wrong with social media but when you’re upset, the worst thing you can do is scroll through Instagram or Facebook and compare your life to everyone else’s. We should all learn how to be alone without the clutch of our phones. Take some time away from the digital world and go out and make some real connections. Whether it’s a few hours, a day, or however long you need, a little social media detox is good for the soul.

2. Create a “You” Day Each Week – Take a bubble bath, put on a face mask, light a candle, drink some tea, and/ or read a book. Do anything that lifts your spirit. Take one day out of the week and make that the time where you can indulge in a little pampering.

3. Say No Sometimes – If you’re always saying yes to everything, it’s hard to figure out what it is you actually want and what you’re pretending to want to do. It’s definitely helpful to have a “yes” attitude in life, but not at the cost of putting your own goals and values aside. Learn to say no to things that don’t resonate with you, because you’re important.

4. Own Your Story – One of my favorite quotes by Brene Brown is “You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” Sometimes we can fall into the trap of feeling like there is something wrong with us, so we neglect the parts of ourselves that we don’t like. However, your mistakes, flaws, and quirks make you who you are. Love the fact that you talk too much, or you say the wrong thing sometimes. Learn to cherish your uniqueness because nobody could be you, no matter how hard they tried.

5. Remove Toxic People From Your Life – It seems so simple; stop spending time with people who make you feel like you are hard to love. Spend more time with people who lift you up, rather than drag you down. Give your precious time to people who motivate you, inspire you, and see the good in you, even when it’s hard for you to see it in yourself. At the end of the day, It’s better to have a few amazing, trustworthy friends than to have a huge social circle of people who could care less about your feelings.

Loving yourself takes courage and is not always easy, it’s about making a conscious decision every single day to tell yourself that you deserve to be happy just as you are, despite what you might feel the world expects from you.

I hope you find some time to do something that makes you feel loved, because you’re worth it.